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History · Fairland

Fairland’s post office opened in 1854, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1953 on, and the census since 1880.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fairland’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fairland began

When was Fairland founded?

1854

The Fairland post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 2008.

First census: 367 in 18802020 census: 542172 years
Founding year: the first Fairland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 2008.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fairland’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Fairland’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fairland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fairland’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewFairland-indiana-from-above: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Fairland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fairland.

Read it all →

Construction of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Lafayette Railroad began in 1849, and Fairland was platted in 1852. Isaac Odell and Henry Jenkins hired the J. M. Elliott Company of Shelby County to draw the plans, and this was recorded on October 21, 1852. The town was named for the "beautiful land" near the original town site. A post office has been in operation at Fairland since 1854 with Isaac Odell as the first postmaster. Several additions were made to the town: Daniel Bradley Addition (1857), Odell's First Addition (1865), Granville S. Harrel Addition (1866), Odell's Second Addition (1868), Richardson & McQuiston Addition (1872), J. B. Plymate First Addition (1891), Joseph & Luvina Plymate Addition (1902), Walker's Addition (1903), Drake's Addition (1907), and Henderson's Addition (1914). In 1866, the railroad between Martinsville and Franklin was extended from Franklin to Fairl…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Fairland in 1887

Passages that mention Fairland, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Fairland. — The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed at Fairland in 1855. The moving spirit in the organization was Matthew Mitchell, who was at the time, pastor in charge of the London Circuit. The early leading members were: Thomas Hacker and family. Dr. Lewis and wife and Mrs. Hoskins.
History of Shelby County, Indiana1887 · page 367Read the page →
Read the text

Fairland. — The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed at Fairland in 1855. The moving spirit in the organization was Matthew Mitchell, who was at the time, pastor in charge of the London Circuit. The early leading members were: Thomas Hacker and family. Dr. Lewis and wife and Mrs. Hoskins.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
burg, this State, where he entered upon an apprenticeship, to learn the carpenter's trade; after finishing this, he continued to work at that trade, in LawTcnceburg, until 1871, when he came to Shelby County, and located in the village of Fairland. A few months later he located upon the farm he now…
History of Shelby County, Indiana1887 · page 745Read the page →
Read the text

burg, this State, where he entered upon an apprenticeship, to learn the carpenter's trade; after finishing this, he continued to work at that trade, in LawTcnceburg, until 1871, when he came to Shelby County, and located in the village of Fairland. A few months later he located upon the farm he now occupies. Since coming to

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Fairland, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Fairland-indiana-from-aboveDate?Fairland-indiana-from-above
On the map

Fairland on the map, 1953 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fairland on the 1953 USGS mapFairland on the 1962 USGS mapFairland on the 1981 USGS map1953Shelbyville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairland.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Fairland-indiana-from-above
Retake this viewFairland-indiana-from-above

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fairland’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Fairland, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 542

Between 315 and 542 people in every census since 1880.

4 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fairland’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fairland

Nobody well known was born in Fairland itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Angela AhrendtsAmerican businesswoman · b. 1960
Wilbur ShawAmerican racing driver · b. 1902
R
Roger SliferAmerican comic book writer, screenwriter, and t… · b. 1954
Walter H. MoellerAmerican politician · b. 1910
Bob GliddenAmerican racing driver · b. 1944
George CroweAmerican MLB player · b. 1921

Questions about Fairland’s history

What year was Fairland founded?

The Fairland post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 2008.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.